Remotely controlled arc for searchlights



Feb. 7, 1939.

F. R. HOUSE 2,146,503 REMOTELY CONTROLLED ARC FOR SEARCHLIGHTS Filed Feb. 26, 1935 2 sheets-sneer 1 /0 [Mm/mo# 5 5. 1 I /5 .9 4 3 0 E@ f-l" 1| a f6 A l o I 2U B5 l rrr@ f Q 26 u l* l n o. [Il] 62 L u J5 50@ y o y i "5l REMOTELY CONTROLLED ARC FOR SEARCHLIGH'IS` Filed Feb. 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRAN/f /fousE' Mai/M Patented' Feb. 7, 1939 2,146,503

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REMOTELY CONTROLLED ARC FOR SEARCHLIGHTS Frank R. House, Baldwin Harbor, N. Y., assignor to Sperry Gyroscope Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application February 26, 1935, Serial No. 8,263

10 Claims. (Cl. 177-329) This invention relates to arc lamps, especially its normal consumption, but when the thermoof the high intensity type for use in high power stat operates, the rate is increased to above the searchlights. The invention especially concerns normal consumption, as explained in the aforea means for quickly striking and quickly eX- said patent.

tinguishing or occulting the arc so as to in- To the forward end of the positive holder there 5 crease its usefulness for signalling purposes. Acis Xed an insulated nose cap I'l. Pivoted to one cording to my invention, I provide a simple means side cf the positive electrode and slightly in front for quickly extinguishing the arc and for quickly of the crater thereof is an occulting disc or shield striking the arc without breaking the main arc I8. Said disc may be made of highly refractory supply, and which therefore may be remotely insulating material such as transite or other asl0 operated through comparatively small Wires. The bestos or mica compound,and is shown asy mounted searchlight may therefore be readily operated on a shaft E9 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted from a distance and may be used to flash signals on the positive head. Said shaft may be rotated Without the use of the cumbersome iris or other as by means of a gear 25 and rack bar 2l, to

shutters commonly employed for this purpose, throw the disc directly across the are and in 15 Referring to the drawings, front of the positive crater, as shown in the Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of dotted line position in Figs. l and 2. In this the lamp unit of a high power searchlight, with position the arc will be at once extinguished, and

my invention applied thereto. also the light from the glowing positive crater Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Cut olf from the reiiector 22 which lies to the 20 Fig. 3 is a detached View of the occulter disc. rear of the negative holder, as indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a wiring diagram of the lamp. The rack bar may be readily operated from a I have illustrated my invention as applied to a distance by means of a comparatively high resisthigh intensity type lamp unit having a positive ance or Weak current solenoid 23 which, when 25 electrode holder l and a negative electrode holder energized, holds the rack down, as shown in Fig. 25 2, the positive carbon being shown at 3 and the 2, and the disc out of the arc, as illustrated in full negative carbon at 4. Suitable means are prolines- Sad Solenoid S preferably placed in a vided for feeding each electrode, the negative bebranch or independent weak current circuit coning normally fed in response to the voltage drop trolled from a switch or button 38. If the current across the arc, and the positive being rotated and through the solenoid is broken by failure of the 30 fed so as to maintain the positive crater at the main Supply 0T thugh bllOYl 33, the raCk S focus of the reflector 22, or other projector. Both drawn upwardly by means of the spring 24, thus of said mechanisms are well known in the art revolving the disc into the dotted line position and need not be described in detail. The voltage and extinguishing the arc and occulting the coil for controlling the negative feed is repreafterglow. 35 sented at 5 in the wiring diagram and the positive In order to also strike the arc quickly, I provide feed is controlled by contacts 6 (actuated from in conjunction With Said diSC an allXl'arY Strikan arc position responsive device such as a thering electrode 25. Said electrode is shown as mostat or third electrode) which contacts control mounted in a two part steel and brass rod 26, 25

a coil 'I regulating the rate of feed and rotation Which extends within a solenoid winding 2l of 40 of the electrode as known in the art,-for inheavy Wires, through which the main arc current stance, the patent to Hall, No. 1,679,718, dated passes. Said solenoid is shown as having an in- August 7, 1928. teriorly tapered core, the bore flaring outwardly The rotating and feeding motion is generated, toward both ends, so as to contact with the rod 26 in this instance, in the lamp box 8, represented around a central circle 28. The rod is` normally 45 in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the power being supthrust forwardly by means of a compression plied by motor M, and is transmitted to the posispring 30 which rests at one end against the tive holder through universal shaft 9 and gearlamp structure or bracket 3| thereon, and at its ing IU and Il, the latter rotating a sleeve I2 in outer end against a collar 32 fixed to the rod 26.

the positive holder which carries the feed rollers The rod is shown as having a central ear 33 50 I3, by which the electrode is fed from a planetary thereon, by which it is pivoted to an intermediate gear I4 which rolls around a fixed gear I5, and link 34 which, in turn, is pivoted to bracket 3l suitable intermediate transmission gearing I5. at 35. When, therefore, the rod is drawn to the The arrangement is such that the positive elecright in Fig. 1 by the excitation of the solenoid,

trode is normally fed at somewhat less rate than the tip of the electrode 25 will describe an arc 55 which is shown in dotted lines at 36, said arc running from the tip of the negative electrode 4, closely adjacent the tip o-f the positive electrode but preferably without touching the same, and then nally to the lower dotted line position illustrated at 25'. In case the main arc current should then be broken by the turning of the disc, the tip of electrode 25 will advance until it touches the disc I8, as shown in the dotted line position 25".

Referring to the wiring diagram, it will be seen that the main arc current passes at all times through solenoid winding 2l and that under the conditions shown in Fig. l, current will pass through the rod 26 and auxiliary electrode 25 to the negative electrode 4, so that the arc will be struck and transferred to the larger positive electrode as the auxiliary electrode is drawn rearwardly. The weak current solenoid 23 therefore may be used to both light and extinguish the arc, and since it carries only a small current, it may be controlled from any distance through an auxiliary push button or snap switch 38. The operator at the lamp, by simply closing the main switch, may place the lamp in condition for operation, but the lighting and extinguishing may be entirely controlled from a distance through said auxiliary switch 38. Before the switches are closed, the parts will lie in the position shown in Fig. 4. When the main switch 39 is closed, the

arc will not start because the switch 38 is not closed and solenoid 23 is unexcited, leaving the disc I8 in the position shown in Fig. 4. As soon, however, as the switch 38 is closed, the disc will be revolved to the full line position of Fig. 2 and the spring 30 will push the auxiliary electrode forwardly to contact with the negative electrode. The circuit thus closed will cause a heavy current to pass through solenoid 2l, which will retract the auxiliary electrode, as explained, thus striking the arc. The are will then remain lit until the switch 38 is opened, which will cause the disc I8 to turn across the arc and extinguish the same and the afterglow. At the same time the current will be broken through the solenoid 2l since the current therethrough depends upon the completion of the circuit between the positive and negative electrodes. The auxiliary electrode will then advance to contact with the disc I8 and be ready to advance into contact with the negative electrode upon removal of the disc by the closing of the button.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle and operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and. relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A remote control for arc searchlights and the like, comprising a movable shield for extinguishing the arc, a movable auxiliary electrode for drawing the arc, an arc circuit Winding for retracting the latter to draw the arc, and a weak current winding for controlling the position of said shield, said shield serving in its operative p0- sition to maintain said electrode in a retracted position, whereby the arc may be quickly lighted and extinguished from a distance by controlling the excitation of said weak current winding.

V2. A remote control for arc searchlights and the like, as claimed in claim 1, in which said shield in its occulting position lies in front of the said auxiliary electrode and prevents the latter from advancing to establish an arc until said shield is opened.

3. The combination with an arc lamp for searchlights, of an occulting disc, a pivotal mounting therefor, a spring biased winding for rotating said disc to cause it to lie across the arc and between the electrode tip, facing the reflector, and the reflector, and for rotating said disc to one side of the electrodes, and a branch circuit including a switch for exciting and deenergizing said winding, whereby the arc may be extinguished from a distance and afterglow prevented.

4. A remote control for arc searchlights and the like, comprising a movable shield ,for extinguishing the arc, a movable auxiliary electrode for drawing the are from the negative to the positive electrode, means operable at will for moving said shield to either its occulting or ineffecting position, and spring opposed arcV current responsive means for advancing said auxiliary electrode to touch the negative electrode when said shield is moved to its ineffective position and for withdrawing the same to draw the arc to the positive electrode. I

5. A remote control for high intensity -naming arc lamps comprising a movably mounted auxiliary electrode for drawing the arc from the negative electrode to the positive electrode, spring opposed arc current responsive means for advancing said auxiliary electrode to touch the negative electrode and for then withdrawing the former past the positive tip to draw the arc, a movable stop for preventing the advance of said auxiliary electrode, and means operable from a distance for positioning said stop in its operative or inoperative position.

6. A remote control for high intensity naming are lamps as claimed in claim 5, in whichsaid stop also acts as an arc extinguishing device.

7. A remote control for arc searchlights and the like, comprising a movable shield for extinguishing the arc, a movable auxiliary electrode for drawing the arc, an arc circuit Winding for re-V tracting said electrode to draw the arc, and a weak current winding for controlling the position of said shield and the advancement of said electrode, whereby the arc may be quickly lighted and extinguished from a distance by controlling thel excitation of said weak current winding without interrupting the main supply.

8. A remote control for high intensity naming arc lamps comprising a movably mounted auxiliary electrode for drawing the arc from the nega.- tive electrode to the positive electrode, spring opposed arc current responsive means for advancing said auxiliary electrode to touch Vthe negative electrode and for then withdrawing the former past the positive tip to draw the arc, a two posie tion refractory disc pivoted to one side of the arc, and adapted in one position to act as a stop for preventing the advance of said auxiliary electrode, and at the same time to lie between the positive and negative electrodes to extinguish the arc and in its second position to be inoperative, and means for rapidly extinguishing and lighting the arc by moving said disc from its inoperative to its operative position and return.

9. In a quick control device for arc searchlights, the combination with the spaced arcing electrodes, a movable occulting disc adapted in one position to lie across the arc between said electrodes to extinguish the arc and prevent afterglow, and a movable auxiliary electrode for drawing the arc, said disc in its occulting position lying in the path of said auxiliary electrode to prevent the latter from advancing to strike the arc lo until said disc is moved away.

10. The combination with an arc lamp for search-lights having a pair of oppositely facing electrode holders and a reflector, the holder farther from the reflector facing the same, of an occulting disc o refractory material movably mounted on one of said holders, and means for moving said disc across the position normally occupied by the arc between the electrode holder facing the reector and the other electrode holder near the reflector, whereby the arc is extinguished and the afterglow occulted.

FRANK R. HOUSE. 

